Thursday, 31 January 2013

We have so far
examined the nature of Christian theology. We’ve argued that each of us is, in
fact, a theologian, and we’ve suggested a few reasons why theological study is
valuable. We’ve explored the various sources involved in theological
reflection, as well as the different disciplines and traditions of Christian
theology. Since this is a blog dedicated to defending the Christian faith, I would like us to use the next two posts
to explore the relationship between apologetics and theology.

I will assume that
you’re already familiar with what constitutes ‘apologetics’. [1] As a subject of study, apologetics is a theological discipline
of the kind described in the last post. As a discipline of theology,
apologetics is still concerned with God-speech but its specific purpose is to
demonstrate the plausibility of
theological claims. [2] Indeed, many
of the greatest theologians in Christian history have behaved apologetically,
and some of them have explicitly included an appraisal of apologetics within
their systems of theology. [3] The
danger here is that we take these precedents and assume the connection between
theology and apologetics to be straightforward. Whilst we may be confident that
they are related, we should not be naïve with regards the nature of their
relationship. It is my suggestion that the study of Christian theology is of
great importance to the practice of apologetics, and that the former should be
a high priority for those engaged in the latter. I propose nine reasons to this
end.

(1) You cannot successfully defend that which you do not know. In an earlier post,
we spoke in this way to hint at the utility of theological study for
apologetics. If you have an interest in apologetics then, by definition, you
have an interest in defending the Christian faith. The Christian faith
possesses intellectual content: doctrinal tenets, historical claims,
philosophical consequences, etc. This intellectual content is the object of
theological study. In order to defend the Christian faith you must defend its
intellectual content; in order to defend its intellectual content, you must be
familiar with said content; in order to be familiar with said content, you must
undertake theological study. Again: you cannot successfully defend that which
you do not know.

(2) Theological study keeps you on target. Having a greater
awareness of what Christian theology entails enables you to identify caricature
and misrepresentation. Last year my wife and I were invited to be in the
audience for the BBC’s Big Questions.
The episode being filmed was to be a one-hour special, dedicated to the
question of the existence of God. Before we were led into the studio, I started
talking to a gentleman who identified himself as an atheist. Our discussion was
cordial throughout. At one point in the conversation he suggested that the
Christian faith posited a strict dualism between body and spirit, with the
latter being given an almost exclusive emphasis. (If I remember right, he was
making this point to discredit the idea of Jesus’ physical resurrection.) I
quickly noted that this was, in fact, a caricature – not only of the scriptural
data, but also of the patristic data. I referenced Irenaeus’ Against Heresies V.XIV.3 to show that
from the early to mid second century, there was a clear sense of the importance
of flesh in Christ’s act of redemption. The man graciously accepted that the
caricature was incorrect and dropped his line of argument. This is one example
of how theological study, and an awareness of key theological texts, can help de-construct inaccuracy. It prevents the apologist from veering off target by
tolerating claims not grounded in sound theological study.

(3) Theological study helps you to stay consistent. It alerts you to
your own theological system and the consequences of holding to it, whether they
are historical, philosophical, doctrinal, etc. It fosters coherence by forcing
you to consider the ‘big picture’. It’s my suggestion that this is of great
utility to the practice of apologetics. In the context of a heated debate where
there may be pressure to ‘save face’, the apologist will be tempted to choose
the argument that simply functions.
This kind of argument, born in spontaneity rather than critical reflection,
often leaves the apologist vulnerable to inconsistency and reproof. Theological
study helps to keep your apologia
cogent when it counts.

(4) Theological study helps you to be confident in your apologetic. A cursory examination of Christian theological
history demonstrates that although the circumstances of unbelief may alter
through the centuries, many aspects of its reasoning have remained
substantively the same. For two thousand years, Christians have wrestled with
countless theological problems and challenges. Furthermore, contemporary
academic theology continues to wrestle with many of the same questions. In
other words, there’s really nothing new under the sun. Although it’s tempting
to wonder if there exists a new and devastating argument against Christianity
just waiting to be discovered, the reality is that there probably isn’t. This
isn’t to say that Christianity is true because of its longevity and the work of
its most prolific thinkers. Rather, my point is simply this: by making you
aware of the wealth of answers from believers past and present, theological
study helps to build a steeled confidence in the message you’re so eager to
defend.

(5) Theological study helps you to be creative in your apologetic. The practice of apologetics is, far too often, a
predictable affair. There’s a sort of ‘canon’ when it comes to apologetic
response: Craig, Strobel, Wright, Plantinga, etc. It’s not that this canon is
deficient; these authors are obviously a blessing for those interested in
defending the faith. However, we have seen how Christian theology is replete
with theologians and philosophers, disciplines and traditions. This diversity
gives the Christian faith a rich and varied intellectual heritage. It’s a
little strange, therefore, that our apologia
is so often dependent on only a handful of contemporary voices. The study of
Christian theology – insofar as it makes us aware of Christianity’s rich
intellectual heritage – encourages us to be creative in the practice of
apologetics for the sake of becoming all things to all people, so that by all
means we may save some.

(6) Theological study puts apologetic debate into perspective. Apologists are usually passionate about what they do and with good
reason. Not only are debates rather thrilling, but also defending the faith is
a sound activity, concerned as it is with the saving of souls. However, if
we’re honest, we sometimes lose perspective. We obsess about a discussion
raging on a social network. We get angry about an obscure comment made by an
anonymous blogger. We puff ourselves up after reading an unsolicited email. A
knowledge of theological history helps to restore this kind of lost
perspective. No, you’re not Martin Luther, and your discussion on Facebook is
not the Diet of Worms. No, you’re not Athanasius, and your email correspondent
is not the next Arius. Yes, you got shouted at by an atheist and it was rather
uncalled for, but no, you’re not Bonhoeffer staring down the barrel of
persecution. An awareness of theological study puts our apologetic experiences
into perspective. It helps to shatter our vain imaginings and it forces us
treat the situation as it really is: an opportunity to use your gift to share
the Gospel.

(7) Theological study puts the apologetic vocation into perspective. Not only is it easy to lose perspective when it comes to debate and
discussion, but it’s also tempting to mishandle the entire apologetic
enterprise. Far too many apologists are consumed by their interest. For these,
apologetics has become a pastime and a daily hobby, one that they probably
spend too much time thinking about. Christian theology serves to put
apologetics in its proper place as one tool among many. It is not a subject
unto itself. It’s a theological discipline. More than this, it’s a discipline
that is designed to serve the interests of the Church. The study of Christian
theology thereby puts the apologetic vocation into perspective. It helps to
remind us that our interest is part of a much bigger picture, and that its
proper place of execution is within the Christian community.

(8) Being theologically aware helps you to stay humble, by reminding you
that God is God and we are not. Salvation is of the Lord. You can’t reason God
into existence nor is conversion caused by debate. You can’t excuse Him, nor
can you justify Him or defend Him. He needs no excuse; He justifies and defends
Himself. All apologetic reasoning could disappear from human memory today and
His goodness would not be diminished. You are not His champion and He owes you
no thanks for what you do. You belong
to Him, and your arguments pale in
comparison to the majestic truth of His reality. He doesn’t need you. But He
loves you, and He promises to use your service for His glory. This is the
essence of a theologically aware apologia
– you’re not needed, but you’re wanted and you’re used. This awareness keeps
you humble.

(9) Being theologically aware helps you to stay faithful. Do you know the God
who you defend? Do you spend as much time in prayer as you do on Facebook
flexing your muscles? Theology reminds us that the God who we talk about is the
same God who deserves our worship. It reminds us that the study of God has
always had a doxological currency. It reminds us that we cannot defend that
which we do not know – and if we wish to issue a defence for the living God,
then we best know Him, and know Him well. Theology helps us to stay faithful.

We’ll continue our
study of the relationship between theology and apologetics in Part Two.

--------------------------------------------

[1] If not,
Daniel Rodger’s parallel series, ‘Apologetics 101’, is worth your attention!
Find the link above. You may also benefit from introductory texts such as Five Views on Apologetics (2000), edited
by Gundry and Cowan, Sproul’s Defending
the Faith (2003) or Moreland’s Scaling
the Secular City (1987).

[2] Some
would say that apologetics is best thought of as an extension of evangelism,
rather than as a theological discipline. In this regard
it may be an example of practical theology or missiology rather than a
discipline in and of itself. We’ll insist on apologetics as a discipline in
this post not least because it’s concerned with questions of method, a habit
more typical of a discipline of study.

[3] As for
theologians behaving apologetically, see many of the great patristic thinkers,
such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Athanasius and Augustine. As for theologians
who included an appraisal of apologetics within their systems of theology, see
Schleiermacher’s The Christian Faith and
Tillich’s Systematic Theology – Volume
One.

3 comments:

I wonder what we should think of William Lane Craig's "set the bar as looow as possible" advice in light of this? According to Craig, there's very few things you have to believe to be saved (and he's right on that point). So why throw up a bunch of theology that the unbeliever might stumble over?

Let him have his Darwinistic views. Let him have his homosexuality is good views. Let him have his abortion isn't murder views. Let him have his the-God-of-the-Old-Testament-is-a-moral-monster-views. Let him have his the-universe-is-eternal-views. Really, if we carry out W. L. Craig's advice consistently, shouldn't we just focus all our apologetic attention on Jesus' ministry?

I'm not saying theology wouldn't be helpful to the apologist as a Christian in many ways, but that as apologists we don't need to bring much to bear to the task of apologetics.

But is that what we want, Jonathan? People who have their salvation, but believe a bunch of wrong things about God, the bible and Christianity?

And the reality is that the things you list -- Darwinistic views, acceptance of homosexuality and abortion, God as a moral monster, etc. -- may be the very things that keep a person from the Lord. Therefore, we have to deal with them and explain God's truth.

It isn't enough to have partial truth. We shouldn't settle for it in any aspect of our lives, including our roles as apologists.